It was of course inevitable that Jeffrey Epstein’s death while in federal custody awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges would trigger widespread speculation and doubts about his cause of death. It was ruled a suicide, but “Epstein didn’t kill himself” quickly became a meme anyway, particularly in light of the apparent negligence by Manhattan Correctional Center guards as well as numerous other suspicious details surrounding his demise. But a new report from the New York Times Magazine, billed as the “fullest examination yet of Epstein’s death,” based on dozens of interviews, countless court and law enforcement records, and forensic analysis of available images and footage, has now filled in a lot of the blanks. That includes additional evidence, beyond Epstein’s alleged suicide note, which indicates he wanted to take his own life in the weeks before his death. The reporting also addresses alternate theories, including how it would have been exceptionally difficult for anyone to sneak into his cell and murder him. Per the report:
Some important questions about Epstein’s death remain unanswered and likely unanswerable. Nevertheless, our reporting establishes that Epstein showed a clear pattern of behavior in the weeks before his death suggesting an intent to kill himself.
